The Greens’ Plan announced today would set a
goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, establish an expert
Climate Commission to advise the Government, phase out the
Emissions Trading Scheme in favour of a revenue-neutral
carbon tax, and introduce a suite of complementary measures
to support the transition to carbon neutrality.

“Our
recent report ‘A Challenge to Our Leaders’ laid out why
New Zealand needs a comprehensive plan toward a zero carbon
economy, and called on all political parties to step up. The
Greens have done so with this announcement, now we want to
see other parties following suit,” said Generation Zero
spokesperson Paul Young.

“The OECD and even companies
such as Shell are calling on governments to set a timeframe
and plan for achieving zero emissions from fossil fuels. The
Greens’ goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 is a good
one.”

“An independent Climate Commission, like the UK
and many other countries have, is a vital part of the
package to take some of the politics out of the climate
change debate and hold our government to account.”

“We
agree that the Emissions Trading Scheme in its current form
is hopeless and needs an overhaul: it is non-transparent,
inequitable, and worst, completely ineffective. We support
the Greens ‘Climate Tax Cut’ plan as proposed, but
remain open to other ways to deliver a strong and fair
carbon price by fixing the ETS.”

“And a suite of
complementary measures is essential as a carbon price will
only go so far - particularly in the transport sector, which
accounts for over 40% of New Zealand’s carbon dioxide
emissions.”

“Overall, the Climate Protection Plan is a
great blueprint for the comprehensive and fair climate
change response we have been calling for since forming three
years ago. New Zealand needs a plan like this to build a
safe future for young people and an economy fit for the 21st
century.”

“We’re eager to hear what other parties
will do to tackle climate change. This should be a major
election
issue.”

The quashing of the convictions of Teina Pora for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett in 1992 has shone a spotlight once again on a major gap in the New Zealand justice system.

To all intents and purposes, access by New Zealanders to the Privy Council has now been closed. Yet the number of times in recent years when the Privy Council has quashed the findings of New Zealand courts has demonstrated that we are regularly(a) jailing the wrong person or(b) arriving at guilty verdicts on grounds sufficiently flawed as to raise serious doubts that a miscarriage of justice has occurred. More>>

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